Program Overview

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School of Nursing MPhil, PhD

Overview

Make a substantial and original contribution to knowledge in the fields of health and nursing. Work as part of our research community in an inspiring, multidisciplinary setting.

Full Description

Our research encompasses researchers and research students from many health-related backgrounds and who therefore represent a range of academic and professional interests.

Our research and associated doctoral studies reflects our vibrant and diverse team of academics and practitioners. It relates to a number of specialist themes.

• Health-related research: Workforce, patient/carer experience, stress, ageing, dementia, pain, falls, and childhood obesity.
• Social care research: Marginalised communities (adult and young people), models of care, and community engagement.

We invite applications towards study for MPhil or PhD on topics within these broad areas. Established, world-leading academics support the programmes. The sheer breadth of activity here creates an inspiring environment, as well as the opportunity to share ideas with professionals from many sectors.

Completion Times

• MPhil: full-time 1-3 years, part-time 2-4 years.
• PhD via progression from MPhil, including that period: full-time 2.5-5 years, part-time 3.5-6 years.
• PhD: full-time 2-4 years, part-time 3-6 years.

Supervision and Support

In order to support you, we will compile a specialist team of supervisors that reflects your research interests and supervisory needs.

Your supervisors will meet with you regularly to provide advice and guidance with your studies and with the writing of your thesis.

Where You'll Research

Your Faculty

The Faculty of Health, Medicine and Social Care at ARU is primed to meet the demand for healthcare professionals, doctors, scientists and social workers in the East of England.

We've been training undergraduates for professional roles for over 25 years, with a reputation for quality, dedication and ambition balanced with student satisfaction.

We know that our students want the very best experiential learning, and we've invested heavily in purpose-built simulated wards, science labs and skills spaces, to support your learning every step of the way.

Where Can I Study?

• Chelmsford: Our striking, modern campus sits by the riverside in Chelmsford's University and Innovation Quarter.
• Cambridge: Our campus is close to the centre of Cambridge, often described as the perfect student city.

Fees & Funding

Course Fees

• UK students, 2024/25 (per year): £4,786
• UK students, 2024/25 (part-time, per year): £2,392
• International students, 2024/25 (per year): £15,900
• International students, 2024/25 (part-time, per year): £7,950

Bench Fees

In some cases extra costs known as bench fees will be charged for a postgraduate research degree. These are to cover additional/exceptional costs directly related to a specific research project.

Some examples of these costs are (the list is not exhaustive): equipment hire, access costs to specialist equipment/workshops, volunteer expenses, specialist tissue/cell culture, specialist reagents or materials, specialist software, access to specialist databases, data collection costs, specialist media, recording or digital storage needs.

We charge bench fees in bands. They may apply for every year of your course. These bands are the same for full- and part-time students.

If you have to pay bench fees this will be made clear at your interview, and stated in your offer letter.

For 2024/25 the bench fee bands are:

1. £500
2. £1,200
3. £2,200
4. £4,500
5. £8,900

PhD by Published Work

• Initial registration: £1,500
• Full registration: £4,500

Writing up Fees 2024/25

• £1,200

Funding

For advice on the Doctoral Loan and other sources of funding, including ARU scholarships, visit our finance guide for postgraduate researchers.

You might also find The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding helpful.

ARU Research

ARU's academic excellence was recognised in 2021, as part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF), an exercise which assesses the quality of academic research. Sixteen areas of our work were classed as generating world-leading research. The results showed that we're making a significant impact on the societies we live in.

Careers

Research and professional training will be part of your programme, with workshops including scientific writing and publishing, research methods, subject updates and conference presentation.

Entry Requirements

• MPhil or PhD with progression from MPhil: You’ll need a Bachelor degree or equivalent with first or upper second class honours, in a related subject area.
• PhD: You’ll need a Master degree or equivalent in a related subject area.

Please note we consider candidates for PhD with progression from MPhil in the first instance. If you want to be considered for direct entry to the PhD route then this can be discussed at interview if you are shortlisted. Please note you’ll also need to provide academic justification for this request.

If English is not your first language, you'll require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5, with a minimum of 5.5 in each component (or equivalent test). If you don't meet our English language requirements, we offer a range of courses which could help you achieve the level required for entry.